Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
30-year mortgage rate hits 5.3%
Average rate in U.S. up from 2.94% a year ago, data shows
Mortgage rates continued to climb this week, adding more financial strain on hopeful home buyers as they wade into the competitive spring and summer markets.
The 30- year fixed- rate mortgage averaged 5.3%, a rise from last week, when it averaged 5.27%, according to data released Thursday by Freddie Mac. This time last year, the 30-year rate was 2.94%.
The rate for the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.48%, down from last week’s average of 4.52%. A year ago at this time, it averaged 2.26%. The five-year adjustable-rate averaged 3.98%, up from last week’s 3.96%. A year ago at this time, it averaged 2.59%.
“Monthly payments have increased by more than 50% in just four months because of higher mortgage rates,” said George Ratiu, a senior economist with Realtor.com. “While everyone is shocked by inflation of 8.3%, rent increases of 17% and home price increases of 14%, the impact of higher mortgage rates is even greater.”
High prices and multiple-offer situations have made it almost impossible for firsttime home buyers to purchase property this spring, said Michael Isaacs, the chief executive of GO Mortgage in Columbus, Ohio.
Rising mortgage rates compound that problem. Last year, rates hit a low of 2.5% in October and November, and they were at 3% last May, he said. The additional interest associated with higher rates is adding hundreds of dollars to mortgage payments.
“Now they’re at 5.5%, that means the monthly principal and interest is now $600 higher today than it was last year for a $ 400,000 mortgage,” Isaacs said.
Buyers with fixed budgets who are on the hunt for new homes have faced additional financial pain for months now, with rising costs for gasoline, groceries and other
everyday goods affected by rising inflation.
But the pace of inflation could be starting to slow, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, even though inflation remains at 40-year highs. Prices were up 8.3% in April compared with a year earlier, and 0.3% compared with the month before. By contrast, March prices were 8.5% higher compared with the previous year, and a sharper 1.2% compared with the previous month.
What that means for the home buyers and sellers is unclear. There are mixed signals about whether the housing market is cooling.
While 15% of home sellers dropped their asking prices during the four weeks that ended May 1, 56% of homes sold for above listing prices in that period, a record high, according to Redfin real estate brokerage. Listings continue to be well below last year’s already low level and prices are up 17% year over year.
Meanwhile, mortgage applications increased 2% from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The refinance index fell 2% from the previous week and was 72% lower than the same week one year ago.
“Mortgage applications increased for the second consecutive week, driven by a 5% jump in purchase activity,” Bob Broeksmit, the president and chief executive of the Mortgage Bankers Association, said in an email. “With the spring home-buying season in full swing, demand is still strong in most of the country, despite mortgage rates now at highs last seen in 2009.”
This week’s rate increase follows by about a week the Federal Reserve’s raising its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point, the sharpest increase since 2000 and the second of seven increases expected this year. Although the central bank does not set mortgage rates, its own rate-setting activity does indirectly affect them.
Stanley Middleman, the president and CEO of Freedom Mortgage in Boca Raton, Fla., said that there is still a “great deal of volatility in the marketplace” and that he hopes the Fed’s increase of its short-term rate will slow inflation and the rise of mid- to long-term rates.
“However, there is a lag effect from the Fed’s activity, so it will take longer to impact inflation and, therefore, interest rates,” he said.
The Mortgage Bankers Association also this week released its mortgage credit availability index (MCAI), which showed credit availability decreased in April. The MCAI fell by 3.2% to 121.1, a drop that reflects the tightening of lending standards. It follows a decline of credit availability in March.
“Mortgage credit availability fell for the second month in a row, as lenders reacted to the jump in mortgage rates over the past two months,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s associate vice president for economic and industry forecasting, in a statement.